blinding with science
Confusing with expertise
Blinding with science is using technical jargon or complex explanations to confuse or intimidate someone rather than inform them.
The phrase suggests deliberate obfuscation—overwhelming a listener with expertise so they can't evaluate what's actually being said: He blinded them with science to hide the fact that his proposal made no sense.
The strategy exploits the authority of scientific language without the substance.
- misdirectionIntentional focus manipulation
- smoke and mirrorsDeceptive obfuscation tactics
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- persuasionConvincing through reasoning
- gaslightingManipulation causing self-doubt
confusion · word salad · deception · jargon · rhetoric · technobabble · intimidation · pulling rank · spin · explanation · snow job · awe · storytelling · bamboozle · fast talk · exploitation · argumentation · moving the goalposts
blinding with scienceplain English
Unadorned, accessible wording
breaking it down · straight talk · layman's terms · dumbing down · simplifying
blinding with sciencetelling it like it is
Speaking plain, unfiltered truth
candor · straight shooting · transparency · cards on the table · intellectual honesty
blind, blinds, blinded, blindly, blindness, blinder, blinders, science, sciences